Doha, June 30 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar arrived in Doha on Sunday on a day-long official visit to Qatar during which he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
He was received at the airport by Chief of Protocol Ibrahim Fakhroo and the Indian Ambassador.
“India and Qatar share historic and friendly relations which are marked by regular exchange of high-level visits. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Qatar on 14-15 February 2024 and held discussions with Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani,” the MEA stated ahead of Jaishankar’s visit.
“EAM’s visit will enable both sides to review various aspects of bilateral relations including political, trade, investment, energy, security, cultural and people-to-people as well as the regional and international issues of mutual interest,” the Ministry added.
During his Doha visit earlier this year, Prime Minister Modi had thanked the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for taking care of the over eight lakh strong Indian community in Qatar and conveyed India’s commitment to further expanding and deepening bilateral cooperation with the country.
The Qatari Amir reciprocated PM Modi’s sentiments and expressed appreciation for India’s role as a valued partner in the Gulf region. He also appreciated the contributions of the vibrant Indian community in Qatar’s development and their enthusiastic participation in various international events held in Qatar.
“India-Qatar bilateral trade roughly stands at close to $20 billion and the two countries also have a multi-faceted partnership in the field of energy, which includes energy trade as also other segments of energy supply chain contributing to a stronger partnership in the field of energy security,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra had said after the PM’s visit.
In February, on the sidelines of India Energy Week held in Goa, the two countries signed an agreement for the supply of 7.5 MMtpa LNG from Qatar to India for 20 years, starting 2028 onwards.
This is EAM Jaishankar’s third official visit during the third term of the Modi government. He had earlier visited Sri Lanka (June 20) and the UAE (June 23).
–IANS
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